1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to arrows, and, more particularly, to arrows having a front, collapsible portion and a rear portion separable from the front, collapsible portion.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Arrows of the prior art are generally made of a one-piece construction. They may be wood, metal, fiberglass, and the like. An arrowhead is secured to the front part of the arrow.
When hunting in the field, or even target practicing in the field, an archer may occasionally miss his target. Under such circumstances, the arrow is occasionally destroyed due to an adverse impact of the arrow. The destruction may occur in one of several ways. The arrow may be bent, or shattered, by the impact, the arrow may be broken, or damaged, particularly adjacent to the arrowhead. In any case, where there is damage to the arrow shaft itself, the arrow is not reusable and is discarded completely.
The apparatus of the present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a two-part arrow in which the front portion of the arrow shaft is designed to collapse upon impact with a surface that is hard enough to cause damage to the arrow. The collapsing arrow absorbs the energy which otherwise would be felt along the entire arrow shaft. The front, the collapsible portion, is then removed from the rear portion of the shaft, and the shaft is then reusable.
There have been some arrows of the prior art that have removable portions, and thus the rear portion of the shaft may be reused under certain circumstances.
One example of the prior art arrow with a removable head is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,502,499 (Deck). The Deck arrow is a toy arrow with a removable arrowhead. The toy arrow uses a cap at the head of the arrow which remains in a target, allowing the arrow to pull free from the target and from the cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,940,759 (West) discloses an arrow that includes an explosive charge in the head. The explosive charge causes the shaft to come free from the arrowhead. When the arrow impacts on a target, the force of the impact sets off the explosive cap or caps at the base of the arrowhead so that the arrow shaft is blown away from the head by the force of the explosion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,463 (Repinski and Pratt) discloses a bleeder arrow which utilizes a hollow shaft. Spaced rearwardly from the head are circumferentially extending grooves on the arrow shaft. The circumferentially extending grooves allow the arrow to be broken at any one of the locations as a wounded animal moves through brush, trees, etc. The arrow shaft itself is hollow to facilitate bleeding. The arrow is designed to be used with a broad head, hunting arrow and to enhance the bleeding of the animal after a hit. The circumferentially extending grooves extend substantially the full length of the arrow shaft. The first groove is spaced apart a substantial distance from the arrowhead so that the entire arrow may be removed from the animal if the hit is not a solid hit. The shaft is, of course, not reusable.